NIDZUMI+

Anyone who picked up the cheap and cheerful app called Trace will feel right at home with Crayon Physics Deluxe. The premise in the pair of is draw lines and shapes that aid a ball or a character to get to the finish. While the uglier of the two might seem like a better deal due to it being free this interesting concept deserves the expanded ideas that Crayon Physics brings to the table.

The objective of the miniature stages is to get a ball to a star somewhere else on the level. The first few stages ease you into the experience but the simple objective is easier said than done. Complex pulley systems, obstacles and more block your way to the goal. You achieve these goals by drawing lines and shapes that move the ball. It sounds incredibly simple and that’s because, well, it is but that brings me to the physics.

Here every object you draw is factored into the frankly dependable physics engine. It never suffers from frame rate issues or any other foreseeable problems with the calculations required for the tiny device. What the physics engine does is throw the element of chance into the mix. While the basic formula is simple, the physics engine provides variations of the same shape in different situations depending on a seemingly nominal contrast of shape, angle or anything else the physics factor in.

It’s this that keeps the simple premise entertaining time after time. It’s this depth that makes Crayon Physics more recommendable over it’s free counterpart (Trace). Despite the £2.99 price tag, Crayon Physics has more things in it’s favour.